Protesters with the newly formed local chapter of the Queer Liberation Front demonstrated in front of the Rotunda on June 5, condemning the University of Virginia Board of Visitors’ decision to phase out care for trans youth at UVA Health.
Around 30 demonstrators turned out for the event, which featured speeches by community members and a die-in. More than a dozen people, painted with imitation blood, were surrounded by fake WANTED posters of board members and other UVA leadership that accused them of “the murder of trans kids.” There were also several poster tombstones, each displaying the picture and name of a young trans person who committed suicide in the United States.
“Without access to gender-affirming care and supportive systems, kids die,” said the media liaison for the QLF, who uses the pseudonym Mouse. “When young people kill themselves because of institutional repression like this, the responsibility falls on the institution. That’s not suicide, it’s murder. … The Board of Visitors has the blood of trans kids on its hands through the decisions that it’s made, and we want to make sure that here in Charlottesville, the BOV is held responsible for that, that the public recognizes and knows that these are intentional decisions made by the BOV that are going to affect a lot of people in negative ways.”
Last winter, the BOV announced current trans patients 19 years old and younger could continue to receive treatment at UVA, but should be referred to other providers when “appropriate” and as “soon as practicable.” Since this February 21 decision, trans youth patients have reportedly lost access to their providers, procedures, and prescriptions through UVA Health, according to Mouse.
In the middle of Mouse’s interview with C-VILLE, a UVA representative and police officer approached demonstrators. They were told lawn signs and tombstones could not be put into the grass, and the fake blood could become an issue if it stained university property. The protesters were also given a warning about the use of amplified sound.
There was no megaphone or other amplification device at the demonstration.
The signs were quickly removed from the ground and laid on the grass. Several of the die-in participants opted to hold up the gravestones themselves while lying in direct sun for the remainder of the hour.
“The first thing that [the university police officer] mentioned was the concern over putting these fake gravestones into the ground,” said Chris Grataski, a Charlottesville resident who participated in the die-in. “That sort of nitpicky antagonism … is representative of some of the ways that they’ve engaged with the community. And the second thing that he said was that they’re cool. They’re fine with the fake blood that we’re using today, as long as it’s not getting on any of the marble statues or anything. … They’ve repeatedly demonstrated that they are concerned more for the grand narrative and the story that they’re telling about themselves and preserving their icons of conquest. They care more about that than real people in the community who need care and need the resources that they have had since the founders set foot in Virginia.”
Other attendees included outgoing Chair of the UVA General Faculty Council Ian Mullins, who shared his perspective on the far-reaching consequences of BOV decisions. “The University of Virginia is more than just the university and the major, the biggest, or the largest employer; it’s also one of the main providers of health care,” he said.
According to Mullins, the majority of faculty members he spoke with support the continued provision of care for trans youth at UVA Health.
UVA did not respond to questions regarding the QLF demonstration, instead directing C-VILLE to the original BOV memo and the guidance available on UVA Health’s website. University Deputy Spokesperson Bethanie Glover did clarify existing protest policies, writing, “Participants in all demonstrations on Grounds are informed, and reminded, of our free speech policies whether or not they intend to post signs, use amplified sound, etc.”
The QLF plans to organize more protests in the coming months, according to Mouse.
“These local gatherings aren’t just meetings. They are the birthplace of ideas and a catalyst for change,” said one organizer before the group moved its demonstration to the Corner. “Change is on the horizon, but if we stand idly by, those changes will be founded in bigotry. … Fascism is no longer on our doorstep. It is in our house taking beers out of our fridge. It is seated next to our kids in school. It lives next door to us, it is in the Oval Office. Fascism starts by oppressing … and demonizing the most vulnerable groups.”
Queer Liberation Front protesters laid out signs surrounding those who participated in the June 5 die-in at UVA. Photo: Eze Amos.
